Race of my life: Jean Alesi

Jean Alesi put on one of the most astounding performances of his career during the 1995 Japanese GP. As it was often the case for Alesi, he was left unrewarded, but he still regards it as the race of his life

Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, October 29 1995

"In my Formula 1 career there were many races I should have won but didn't, so it's quite correct that one I failed to finish was the race of my life!

"I qualified second to Michael Schumacher and it was raining on race day. Before the start, I went to the race director and said, 'The startline is downhill, and we don't have a handbrake, so how can I avoid a penalty if my car moves?' He said, 'As long as you line up behind the line, even if your car moves a little bit, as long as you don't improve position it's fine.'"